1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable, reversible cutting board having contoured top and bottom faces with a flat cutting surface on the top face and an arcuate (i.e., curved) depression on the opposite bottom face. A removable cover and a specialized tool have particular application for use with the cutting board of this invention.
2. Background Art
Cutting boards are common household items that are usually found in a kitchen. The cutting board is generally mounted at a fixed location in the kitchen and, therefore, is not capable of being moved from one room to another. In this case, once a food item has been prepared on such a fixed cutting board, the food preparer must move the item from the cutting board to a separate serving dish or tray to be transported to a different location at which the food item will be served and consumed. Consequently, an additional serving dish or tray must be available to the food preparer which must be cleaned following use. Moreover, the food preparer is required to transfer the food item from the cutting board to the serving dish or tray. Such a transfer can sometimes adversely affect the original presentation and/or the appeal of the food item. What is more, it is difficult to adequately clean a fixed cutting board. Because of its stationary nature, the cutting board cannot be removed from its fixed location and carried to a sink or a dishwasher to be cleaned by a readily available supply of soap and water.
The typical cutting board has a continuously flat surface on which the food item to be prepared is laid. In the case where the food item is meat, juices, and the like, will often run out of the meat and onto the cutting board. Because of its continuously flat surface, there is nothing to prevent the juices from running off the cutting board and onto an adjacent counter or even the floor. In either event, an undesirable mess may be created which will require that time and energy be expended for cleaning.
Accordingly, it would desirable to have available a portable cutting board that avoids the problems that are common to conventional fixed cutting boards such as those described above.